My mother returned to Malta after a very long absence due to an accident in France. She also happened to have moved into a new rented apartment in Attard. My mother is 86 and has serious mobility problems but despite these problems she is still living a very independent life.

She has been a subscriber of Telecare services for many years, so a telephone line in good working order is vital to her. A day before she came on Saturday, June 4, I reported the telephone line out of order on the automated system after noticing that the line was dead when I tried to connect the Telecare apparatus.

I also reported the situation to Telecare twice and was promised they would make a report to Go themselves.

At the time of writing, Tuesday, mother is still taking her chances in her apartment, especially at night without the precious Telecare service. I wrote an e-mail to Go requesting their immediate attention on Monday, June 6, and the next day received an answer that my report was being given priority.

To date I still haven’t heard from the Go technicians and my mother continues to live in her apartment without any means of contact. If something happens to her, as has happened in the past, this time round she cannot even call for help.

It seems that Go have no concern whatsoever for their clients and in fact I was told by Telecare personnel that the company does not work on Sundays or public holidays. Telephones are lifesavers even in normal situations and for normal healthy people let alone in cases such as these. Yet my mother is paying for two services, which do not work. No need to say but if something happens to my mother while she continues living without a telephone line and Telecare service, I will most certainly take whatever action I deem fit to attract the companies’ attention.

I feel that any serious telephone service provider is duty-bound to see to it that telephone lines are in good working order and when faults are reported immediate action taken especially in such cases where elderly or ill people are concerned. Telephone lines are bound to develop faults both on holidays and on working days – so I recommend that an emergency shift of technicians should always be at hand at all times to take immediate action when and where necessary.